Collapsible tube squeezing devices for dispensing the contents of tubes containing toothpaste, hair creme, hand lotion, shoe polishing creme, glue, and the like are well known in the art. A review of the prior art devices shows that while such devices exist they have not received substantial user acceptance due to their expense, size, lack of universality, difficulties with operation and the necessity to use both of the operator's hands in emptying the contents of collapsible tubes.
The advent of collapsible tubes formed of plastic, rather than the well known metallic type collapsible tubes, has also presented additional problems which have rendered many pre-plastic tube squeezing devices unsuitable for their intended purposes particularly in regard to removal of the contents of the crown portion of such tubes. Crown portions of plastic collapsible tubes have a tendency to be substantially more rigid than crowns of metallic tubes.
It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a collapsible tube squeezing device which will accommodate a large variety of sizes of collapsible tubes in a relatively inexpensive, simple to operate, collapsible tube squeezing device which is particularly adapted to remove the contents of both metallic and plastic forms of tubes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a device which is relatively compact in size and may be operated with one hand and with the base of the device aligned in substantially any plane, that is, the provision of a tube squeezing device which is not direction sensitive.
It is a further objection of the present invention to provide such a device which may be cast, molded, stamped or formed from plastic, wood, metal or combinations thereof or any suitable material.
In general the present invention comprises a collapsible tube squeezing device comprising a pair of jaw members, means mounting said jaw members to receive a collapsible tube therebetween, said mounting means including:
A. A first pair of links pivotally connecting opposite side of one end of each jaw member with the longitudinal axes of the pair of link being generally normal to planes of the jaw members, and PA1 B. A second pair of links pivotally connected at one end to the pivotal connection between the first pair of links and one of the jaw members and connected at the other end to the other jaw member for limited sliding motion in a plane parallel to the planes of the jaw member.
The invention may also include novel tube holding or tube holding and feeding means associated with said pair of jaw members.